SouthernWorldwide.com – Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and a British Member of Parliament (MP), announced his resignation from Parliament on Tuesday.
Farage stated that he is resigning to trigger a by-election in his Clacton constituency and intends to run in it.
“Today I will resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election, which will happen, I hope in short order,” he declared during a press conference streamed on the Reform UK YouTube channel.
“This will be a people vs. the establishment by-election. It’s a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment, to frankly tell them where to go, and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election,” he added.
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Farage’s decision to resign comes in the wake of several controversies concerning gifts he received from wealthy donors while he was not serving as an MP.
He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting, “Let me be absolutely clear. I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.”
An investigation into Farage’s conduct is currently being carried out by Parliament’s Commissioner for Standards.
In May 2024, just weeks before the July election that saw him return to Parliament, Farage received a $5 million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Farage and his supporters have maintained that the gift was entirely proper. Farage described it as “unconditional” and argued that it did not breach Standards rules because it was received during his period as a private citizen, between his departure from Parliament in 2021 and his return in 2024.
He also contended that the funding for his security was essential due to an increase in the severity and frequency of threats against his life.
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“I am going to need security for the rest of my life and I cannot even tell you how grateful I am to Christopher Harborne, because now I will never ever need to worry about whether I’ve got the resource.”
Citing years of harassment, Farage stated that “over the last years it’s gotten worse,” referencing an attack on his home and “literally, daily online calls for me to be murdered.”
Farage revealed that he had repeatedly sought assistance from the Home Secretary but was ignored, resulting in substantial personal expenditure on security measures.
He further disclosed that, shortly after the murder of Charlie Kirk, his own security funding was reduced by 70%.
By vacating his seat, Farage is creating an opportunity for a by-election. A by-election is a special parliamentary election held to fill a seat that has become vacant between general elections.
By-elections for vacated MP seats typically occur within three to four weeks after Parliament issues a writ of certification. This suggests the snap-election is likely to take place sometime in early August.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
